Eucalyptus can be grown in pots. Choose varieties such as gunii that grow slowly. Prefer pots or tubs with a high rim, at least 50 cm and wide enough to avoid tipping over in gales. Potting allows eucalyptus to be brought in in winter in regions that are too cold.
Proceed for planting and pruning as in the open ground. Provide a layer of clay balls in the bottom of the pot and a garden soil enriched with compost. You can keep the planting stake for the first year to allow the shrub to grow harmoniously. Water well at planting.
Contents
How to plant eucalyptus in a pot?
The culture in vats is reserved for the species of very small dimensions. It is therefore not necessary to reserve a large space for it as one could do with a normal sized eucalyptus.
How do you care for potted eucalyptus?
Eucalyptus pruning is done in spring. Remove the unhealthy branches and dead wood. On potted subjects, training pruning can be done safely in the spring. In the open ground, just rectify a badly placed branch. Repot potted plants every two or three years, choosing a slightly larger pot.
How often should you water a eucalyptus plant?
Water your eucalyptus regularly for the first two years of planting. Then, in the summer, water generously every week in case of drought, even if the eucalyptus can withstand weeks without water. In pots, eucalyptus can be watered regularly without drowning the root ball. Allow the substrate to dry thoroughly between waterings. Eucalyptus does not need any specific fertilizer.
Protecting your potted eucalyptus in winter
In the first years, it is advisable to protect the young tree and its trough with mulch.
Size of the eucalyptus in pot
Eucalyptus pruning is done in spring. Remove the unhealthy branches and dead wood. On potted subjects, training pruning can be done safely in the spring. In the open ground, just rectify a badly placed branch. Repot potted plants every two or three years, choosing a slightly larger pot.
Multiply eucalyptus
Sowing is possible from seeds harvested in autumn and stored in a cool and dry place. The germination is done at 25 °C in a wet substrate. The young seedlings are grown in buckets and then planted in the garden when temperatures remain above 10 °C at night.
Sowing
- Place them for 1 month below 4°C and then sow them almost on the surface in a cup wrapped in a freezer bag and placed between 22 and 25°C in full light.
- As soon as germination takes place, after about a week, place the cup at 20°C.
- When the seedlings have 4 leaves, transplant them into a larger pot without disturbing the root ball and eliminate the weakest plants. Gradually open the bag and place at more than 20°C away from direct sunlight.
Eucalyptus attacks and diseases
Eucalyptus is resistant to diseases and parasites. It can be attacked from time to time by the eucalyptus scabies, a fly that proliferates in greenhouses. If you see red spots on the foliage, treat the tree with the same type of product used to control the olive fly. Clay-based products are generally effective.
Histoire de l’eucalyptus
The discovery of Eucalyptus is a miracle. A storm led two boats leaving Brest (France) in search of a ship that had been missing in the Southern Sea for three years, to anchor off Tasmania towards the end of the 18th century. The botanists on board made the discovery of an immense tree, Eucalyptus globulus, which was forgotten except for a few enlightened collectors. Its massive diffusion came from the intuition of Mueller, a Danish naturalist living in Australia, and Ramel, a French trader, convinced of the interest of this tree.
The Eucalyptus, which enjoys permanent growth and a deep root system, is very water-hungry and is capable of draining marshes to fight against malaria transmitted by mosquitoes, while having the ability to withstand drought. In this way, they send seeds across Europe to acclimatize it. Eastern Corsica quickly benefited from this and around 1875, the success was such that 4 million trees were planted in Algeria and 200,000 in Egypt.
Spain and Portugal who planted it in wetlands (Cantabrian coast…) to limit soil erosion and for the manufacture of paper pulp are today less enthusiastic because of the ecological consequences of this introduction. Nothing grows at the foot because of its allelopathic power although light penetrates easily through the hanging leaves, its cultivation leads to the drying up of the water tables, the eucalyptus is an active pyrophyte. It emits highly flammable vapors. The fire spreads quickly contrary to the forests of holm oaks and cork oaks, one protected by the absence of herbaceous undergrowth due to darkness, the other protected by a fireproof bark.
Summary
The eucalyptus is a splendid tree, evoking the Mediterranean with its blue-grey foliage and its powerful perfume. It can form beautiful hedges or be planted as a single subject. Some varieties of trees can be grown in pots or tubs. It resists well to pollution and can be installed in the city.
